A lot has changed in the last 20 years, but Metric‘s 2003 debut album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, seemed to have some idea where things were going.
On the song “Succexy,” frontwoman Emily Haines sings, “All we do is talk, sit, switch screens,” which certainly could apply today, though probably with less talking and way more screens.
“I think [guitarist] Jimmy [Shaw] and I, like, shared a flip phone at that point,” Haines laughs to ABC Audio. “I must’ve been talking about CNN or whatever.”
Beyond Haines’ apparent prescience, Old World Underground introduced her penchant for adding “do-dos” and “la-las” into songs, which was brought up to her multiple times by music industry people.
“I can’t imagine what the point [of making music] would be other than being able to be like, ‘I feel like going ‘do-do-do do-do-do-do’ and then doing it,” Haines says.
Perhaps to the chagrin of those music industry people, Metric’s built a steady career over the last two decades, which continues with the release of their ninth album, Forementera II, on October 13.
“One of the weirdest things about a life in rock ‘n’ roll is that a lack of decline is, like, a massive success,” Shaw remarks. “It’s weird to really own that feeling.”
Metric will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Old World Underground and the release of Formentera II with a series of intimate shows beginning October 10 in New York City, the set lists for which will be “bonkers.”
“There is a song from five minutes ago next to a song from 20 years ago,” Haines muses. “It’s like time is a construct. As far as the songs are concerned, there’s no difference, and the four people playing them. Super weird.”
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